Posts Tagged ‘windstorms’

GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities LLC, a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC, today announced the placement of a single class of Principal At-Risk Variable Rate Notes (”Notes”) with a principal amount of USD 190,000,000 through the newly formed designated activity company (”dac”) domiciled in Ireland, Queen Street XII Re dac, to benefit Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in München (”Munich Re”). This is the largest issuance of the eleven issuances in Munich Re’s Queen Street series since 2011 and the second largest issuance of all Munich Re’s Queen Street series. Additionally, Queen Street XII Re dac is the first special purpose vehicle authorized for the purposes of Directive 2009/138/EC (as amended) (”Solvency II Directive”) in the 144A catastrophe bond market.

As a commentary on the 2014 severe convective season and resulting “noise” in the media, severe weather reports remain below the average. This is true for each of the sub-perils of tornadoes, hail and straight-line (nontornadic) wind.

GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC, today announced the placement of the Principal At-Risk Notes, with notional principal of $100,000,000, through a newly formed catastrophe bond, Queen Street IX Re Limited, to benefit Munich Re. This is the ninth Queen Street cat bond to benefit Munich Re, the eighth overall cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re since 2011 and the first cat bond issuance benefitting Munich Re provided via an Irish special purpose reinsurance vehicle.

Asia and Australasia also received their share of both natural and man-made catastrophes in 2013. One of the most costly man-made events occurred in China after a major fire hit a large microchip factory in September. The blaze caused significant damage to the SK Hynix-owned facility in the city of Wuxi, with reports saying the cost to the (re)insurance sector is expected to range between USD900 million and USD1 billion. The incident represents the most expensive single-risk loss on record to occur in China.

2013 will be remembered in Europe in part as the year of the flood, with the worst flood event affecting several Central European countries in June. Estimated insured losses from this event were around USD4.1 billion, with economic losses of around USD18 billion (1). Persistent heavy rain caused the Vltava, Elbe and Danube Rivers to overflow their banks and in some cases breach flood defenses. Countries affected included Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and Poland.

A late-season severe convective outbreak has affected a large portion of the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Great Lakes including Southern Ontario. This widespread and violent outbreak has left absolute damage in communities such as Washington, Illinois. The outbreak occurred ahead of a strong cold front affecting the area. Numerous tornadoes have been reported, primarily in Indiana and Illinois, with some preliminary reports as high as an EF-4 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Reports of pea to quarter sized hail are more widespread, together with damaging winds.

Global warming is also impacting drought and wildfire patterns around the world, with notable regional differences. The IPCC says that some regions of the world have experienced more intense and longer droughts (southern Europe and West Africa in particular) while other areas such as central North America and northwestern Australia have seen less frequent, less intense or shorter drought events.

Two powerful storms made landfall in Mexico on September 15 and 16, causing destructive flooding that has claimed lives and destroyed property. In the Pacific Basin, Tropical Storm Manuel made landfall on September 15 near Manzanillo, Mexico. In the Atlantic Basin, Ingrid struck near the town of La Pesca on September 16. This rare convergence of two tropical storms within such close proximity and time of each other has affected nearly two-thirds of the country, according to Mexico’s Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong. The storms have been blamed for more than 50 deaths in the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Puebla, Hidalgo, Michoacan and Oaxaca. In the state of Veracruz, damage to bridges and highways, as well as nearly 1,000 homes, has been reported. Both storms are expected to cause heavy precipitation across most of the country over the next few days, leading to possible life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.